Macro Diving In Roatan: Unique Critters

Going diving in Roatan? Find joy in the little things! While eagle rays and large schools of fish are certainly fun to look at, the reef is also teeming with small creatures that are easy to miss. Next time you’re in the water, try searching for some of the unique macro life that calls Roatan home. It’s not only a wonderful exercise for your eyes, but a surefire way to impress your dive buddies too.

Photo By Tam Warner Minton

Painted Elysia (Thuridilla picta)

Who knew so many colors could exist on something so small? While the main body of the Painted Elysia is green, there are also vivid lateral bands of orange, red, blue, yellow, and neon green. This sap-sucking slug can be found in shallow sand patches or on certain kinds of algae. But look closely! They average a size of 1.25 inches.

Photo By Jeff Hamann

Cassiopea Dondice (Dondice parguerensis)

If you’ve ever been diving with Roatan Divers, you’ve likely been taken to our favorite macro site ever - Shallow Blue Channel! Within this dive site you can find a plethora of upside down jellyfish. And within those upside down jellies, you can find the Cassiopea Dondice. A beautiful type of nudibranch that can grow as large as 2 inches.

Photo By Adrien Weckel, DORIS

Common Squat Lobster (Munida pusilla)

Don’t be intimidated by their outstretched claws - this crustacean is only about the size of your thumb. Appearing to be an interesting mix of crab and lobster, the Common Squat Lobster enjoys hard, rocky bottoms and can often be found in rubble created by tilefish.

Photo By Mau Riquelme

Juvenile Shortnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus)

If you’ve ever wanted to see a teeny tiny underwater unicorn, look for a juvenile shortnose batfish. While difficult to find, you may be able to come across this thumbnail sized juvenile in sandy patches or coral rubble.

Striped Bumblebee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum)

Next time you’re swimming past a sea cucumber, double back and take a closer look. If you’re lucky, you will be able to spot the sea cucumber’s resident Bumblebee Shrimp. Dressed to impress, this pea-sized crustacean sports an eye-catching outfit of yellow and black stripes, accentuated with a pair of goggley blue eyes and a wispy translucent tail — the epitome of cute. These commensal shrimps also have symbiotic relationships with sea stars and sea urchins.

Ready to take your macro game to the next level? Look for these creatures using our Macro Hunter Tips next time you come diving in Roatan.

3 Ways To Become a Better Macro Hunter

Roatan. With its azure waters, sandy white beaches and some of the best scuba diving in the world, it’s no wonders it’s an island on the up and up! Scuba diving is a huge part of what attracts people to Roatan, and we are famous for our abundance of both soft and hard coral, schools of fish and well-protected marine park.

But did you know that Roatan also has a very lively macro life? Though you may not think it at first glance, there are so many cool critters to find on our reefs, from pipehorses to nudibranchs to flatworms! Learning how to hunt for macro critters is a great way to make each dive more interesting and to up your scuba game, but it takes some skill and time to master it. Here are our top 3 ways to become a better macro hunter!

Focus on Better Buoyancy

When it comes to searching for critters, maintaining good neutral buoyancy is absolutely key. You need to be able to hover in one place with your face close to the sand or reef for an extended period of time, and kicking and flailing about to do so will tire you out and damage the reef. Focus on keeping your hands close to your body, using your breathing to control your buoyancy, and using your fins sparsely to move.

If you’re not confident in your buoyancy, have no fear! Participate in the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure Dive or the full PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty course to really hone in your buoyancy skills. We recommend all divers to do a PPB dive as it improves your buoyancy and air consumption, but now you get the additional bonus of becoming a better macro hunter!

Take Your Time

In the spirit of better buoyancy, it’s also really important to take your time when you’re looking for macro critters. Part of what makes finding macro animals so special is the time and energy it takes to find them, and you definitely won’t see the tiniest, most well-camouflaged animals by zooming along the reef! So while good buoyancy is important, taking advantage of that good buoyancy by taking it slow is also key. Kick minimally and take the time to study all the nooks and crannies of the reef and sand for anomalies.

Learn From The Best

This may be the most important tip! If you want to learn how to snowboard, you would take lessons from a snowboarding instructor to get the most out of it, right? In the same way, using a professional dive guide to spot things and to teach you how to spot critters yourself is really important. Dive guides have hundreds, if not thousands, of dives on their reefs and have learned where things like to live and hide. Debriefing and going through a reef life book after the dives can give you more insight to specific critters’ habitats, their behaviors, and they can even pique your interest in animals you never knew about before!

If you’d like to see more of our stunning macro life in person, make sure to contact us and set up some diving with our experienced macrotastic guides!
Can’t make it to Roatan yet but yearning to see more of Roatan’s macro world? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and see what cool critters we find every day!